Feds cleared Mo. shoot cop but kept mum

THE JUSTICE Department decided a year ago that there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute a white former St. Louis cop in the shooting death of a black man, — but it didn’t announce its conclusion until a criminal trial ended.

Ex-cop Jason Stockley, 36, was found not guilty Friday in the death of Anthony Smith, 24, a drug suspect who was gunned down in 2011. The acquittal prompted three days of protests in St. Louis.

A Justice Department spokeswoman said the agency told Smith’s family of its decision in November 2012.

Investigations by the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office didn’t lead to charges against Stockley but recommended the case to the Justice Department, run by then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Police made dozens of arrests in downtown St. Louis Sunday when people ignored orders to disperse after a third night of vandalism that followed largely nonviolent daylight protests. Cops had warned those still on downtown streets late Sunday that they would be arrested if they didn’t leave the area.

Following the same pattern of the previous days, well over 1,000 people marched peacefully for several hours in the afternoon and early evening. By nightfall, most had gone home.

The 100 or so demonstrators who remained grew increasingly agitated as they marched downtown. Along the way, they began to knock over planters and break store windows.